TORONTO — Brandon Morrow made his first pitch at 1:09 p.m., and by 1:10 p.m., that pitch had found safe harbour beyond the fence in left field, clearing the kind of flight path that suggested the Toronto Blue Jays starter would be in for a long afternoon.

It must have felt like a long afternoon, anyway, even though Morrow was pulled about 90 minutes into his start Sunday. The 27-year-old gave up a home run on his first pitch of the game and gave up two more before he left in the sixth inning, returning to the dugout for a few consoling pats on the back and almost certain defeat.

His opponent, David Price, was in the midst of a career game, setting a Tampa Bay Rays record with 14 strikeouts in a 12-0 win at Rogers Centre. Desmond Jennings hit a pair of home runs off Morrow to doom the Jays to their fourth straight loss, dropping the team’s record to below .500 (66-67) for the first time since July 26.

Price pitched seven scoreless innings for the win. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, struck out 18 times overall — tying a franchise record for the most in a nine-inning game — and lost for the third straight game without the supervision of manager John Farrell, who was forced to take another day off to deal with a case of walking pneumonia.

“Not a very good day, obviously,” said Blue Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu.

It got worse for relief pitcher Wilfredo Ledezma, who was designated for assignment after the game. Ledezma allowed six runs in one inning of work on Sunday, helping to worsen the impact of Morrow’s shaky start.

Morrow had capped the night of his previous start sitting alone, quietly, at his stall in the Blue Jays clubhouse. He declined interview requests after allowing the last-place Kansas City Royals to beat him for six runs and 11 hits last Tuesday.

It was one of the worst starts of his career, with the 11 hits setting a career high — or low, depending on your perspective — and it was his third loss of the month. Morrow had only made four starts.

“Obviously, I haven’t been very good the last couple of times — and probably this whole month,” Morrow said Sunday. “You’ve got to make changes when things aren’t going that well, so I got a chance to (work on some things).”

There were signs of recovery after the opening-pitch debacle on Sunday. Johnny Damon grounded out, Evan Longoria flew out to right field and Ben Zobrist struck out looking to end the inning and provide a base of confidence upon which Morrow could build.

That base, such as it was, crumbled quickly.

Morrow issued a walk in the second inning, and that walk turned into a run when catcher John Jaso sent a double down the third-base line. Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia made a visit to the mound, patted his pitcher on the back and returned to the plate.

Morrow’s next pitch, to shortstop Sean Rodriguez, was a strike. The pitch after that one, though, landed on the second deck in left field.

And the Rays showed neither pity nor mercy. Rodriquez had barely returned to the bench when Jennings began his second home-run trot in as many innings, circling the bases after sending Morrow over the fence in left field for his team’s third homer of the game.

That gave the Rays a 5-0 lead, which seemed like four more runs than they would require with Price on the mound. The 26-year-old walked Mike McCoy to open the game, before striking out six of the next seven batters he faced.

Jose Bautista struck out swinging in the first and went down looking in the fourth. Yunel Escobar, Kelly Johnson and Arencibia went down swinging — or looking, in exasperation — in each of their first two meetings with Tampa Bay’s starter.

Price was relentless, pitching like he had a flight to catch.

“I saw the movement on my fastball, my two-seamer, so I wanted to continue to use it,” he told reporters. “The wind kept blowing and it was making my eyes watery all game. I knew it was blowing pretty good, and I just kept throwing it.”

“It was un-hittable,” said Jaso, the Rays catcher. “I would have hated to have been on their team, trying to hit.”

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Brandon Morrow will be glad to see the end of August. It’s been a miserable month for the Toronto right-hander.
David Price struck out a franchise-record 14 in seven dominant innings, Desmond Jennings hit a pair of solo home runs and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Blue Jays 12-0 on Sunday, handing Morrow his fourth loss in five August starts.
“Obviously I haven’t been very good the last couple of times and probably this whole month,” Morrow said.
Morrow (9-9) allowed five runs and six hits, including three home runs, in 5 1-3 innings. The right-hander has given up five homers in his past 10 innings.
“When he tried to step on it a bit and gain some velocity early, he just came out of his delivery a little bit and left a lot of balls up,” Toronto bench coach Don Wakamatsu said.
The Blue Jays lost their fourth straight. They finished with five hits.
Jennings homered on Morrow’s first pitch of the game and got a career-high four hits. He drove in three runs, scored three, drew a walk and also stole a base from the leadoff spot.
Tampa Bay added four more in the second on catcher John Jaso’s RBI double and back-to-back homers, a two-run blast from Sean Rodriguez and another solo drive by Jennings.
“I left a curveball up to Jaso and then following that it was two fastballs that came back over and missed my spot by a couple of feet,” Morrow said. “I was having trouble getting my fastball to the outside edge to right-handers.”
There were no such problems for Price (12-11), who broke the Rays’ team mark for strikeouts shared by Scott Kazmir and James Shields. The lefty improved to 9-1 with a 1.99 ERA in 11 career starts against Toronto.
“Hitting is hard enough already,” Jaso said. “What David brought today made it pretty much impossible.”
It wasn’t just Price’s stuff, but a stiff wind blowing out to center field that made him so effective, giving his fastball extraordinary movement.
“I’ve never had that much movement before, so it was pretty cool,” Price said. “The wind kept blowing and it was making my eyes watery all game. I knew it was blowing pretty good and I just kept throwing it.”
Jaso and Price felt strong gusts pushing them as they walked in from the bullpen beforehand, but didn’t know how helpful the wind would be until the game began, and Price’s two-seamer started drifting.
“It looks like a strike right out of his hand and then it’s just fading off the plate,” Jaso explained. “It was moving about three feet. Once they start to swing on his fastball, they can’t hold it back.”
Price allowed only three singles and walked two. His first seven outs all came by a strikeout, with two hits mixed in during that span.
“He’s got great movement,” Wakamatsu said. “You can get down in the count right away.”
Rays pitchers set a team mark by fanning 18 batters overall. Reliever Brandon Gomes struck out two in 1 1-3 innings and Cesar Ramos struck out two to end it.
“It’s fun to catch when you’ve got something like that going,” Jaso said.
Price quickly matched his career high, striking out 12 through five innings. The left-hander didn’t fan anyone in the sixth, but finished his outing with two more strikeouts in the seventh, matching and then passing Kazmir (2007) and Shields (2011) for the Rays’ record.
Price didn’t give his defense much to do in the first three innings. He did allow a pair of baserunners over that span: Mike McCoy led off the first with a walk and Jose Molina hit a two-out single in the second. Neither runner advanced.
McCoy was the first batter to make an out on a batted ball when he grounded to second in the third. McCoy, who walked again in the sixth, was the only Blue Jays batter not to strike out against Price.
Toronto’s 18 strikeouts were a season high, two more than it had in a 3-1 road loss to the Los Angeles Angels on April 10. The franchise record is 19, set twice previously, both times in extra-inning games.
Jennings put Tampa Bay ahead right away, connecting against Morrow for the first leadoff home run of his career.
“It’s an early run and gets the team up and the pitcher, especially David, he doesn’t need many runs,” Jennings said.
Matt Joyce doubled twice during a six-run ninth as the Rays improved to an AL-best 20-9 since July 28.
NOTES: Toronto LHP Wil Ledezma was designated for assignment after allowing six runs in the ninth. … Blue Jays manager John Farrell (pneumonia) missed his third straight game, with Wakamatsu continuing to run the team. … Rays RHP Kyle Farnsworth (elbow) was available after missing the previous four games. … Toronto 1B Adam Lind, mired in a 3-for-21 slump, was held out of the starting lineup. … Blue Jays RHP Jon Rauch (appendectomy) threw a bullpen session before the game, his second in three days. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis (torn left hamstring) has begun jogging and taking batting practice at the team’s minor league complex in Florida and could return before the end of the season. … Tampa Bay RHP Wade Davis (8-7) faces Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero (12-9) in Monday’s series finale.

TORONTO — Brandon Morrow made his first pitch at 1:09 p.m., and by 1:10 p.m., that pitch had found safe harbour beyond the fence in left field, clearing the kind of flight path that suggested the Toronto Blue Jays starter would be in for a long afternoon.

It must have felt like a long afternoon, anyway, even though Morrow was pulled about 90 minutes into his start Sunday. The 27-year-old gave up a home run on his first pitch of the game and gave up two more before he left in the sixth inning, returning to the dugout for a few consoling pats on the back and almost certain defeat.

His opponent, David Price, was in the midst of a career game, setting a Tampa Bay Rays record with 14 strikeouts in a 12-0 win at Rogers Centre. Desmond Jennings hit a pair of home runs off Morrow to doom the Jays to their fourth straight loss, dropping the team’s record to below .500 (66-67) for the first time since July 26.

Price pitched seven scoreless innings for the win. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, struck out 18 times overall — tying a franchise record for the most in a nine-inning game — and lost for the third straight game without the supervision of manager John Farrell, who was forced to take another day off to deal with a case of walking pneumonia.

“Not a very good day, obviously,” said Blue Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu.

It got worse for relief pitcher Wilfredo Ledezma, who was designated for assignment after the game. Ledezma allowed six runs in one inning of work on Sunday, helping to worsen the impact of Morrow’s shaky start.

Morrow had capped the night of his previous start sitting alone, quietly, at his stall in the Blue Jays clubhouse. He declined interview requests after allowing the last-place Kansas City Royals to beat him for six runs and 11 hits last Tuesday.

It was one of the worst starts of his career, with the 11 hits setting a career high — or low, depending on your perspective — and it was his third loss of the month. Morrow had only made four starts.

“Obviously, I haven’t been very good the last couple of times — and probably this whole month,” Morrow said Sunday. “You’ve got to make changes when things aren’t going that well, so I got a chance to (work on some things).”

There were signs of recovery after the opening-pitch debacle on Sunday. Johnny Damon grounded out, Evan Longoria flew out to right field and Ben Zobrist struck out looking to end the inning and provide a base of confidence upon which Morrow could build.

That base, such as it was, crumbled quickly.

Morrow issued a walk in the second inning, and that walk turned into a run when catcher John Jaso sent a double down the third-base line. Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia made a visit to the mound, patted his pitcher on the back and returned to the plate.

Morrow’s next pitch, to shortstop Sean Rodriguez, was a strike. The pitch after that one, though, landed on the second deck in left field.

And the Rays showed neither pity nor mercy. Rodriquez had barely returned to the bench when Jennings began his second home-run trot in as many innings, circling the bases after sending Morrow over the fence in left field for his team’s third homer of the game.

That gave the Rays a 5-0 lead, which seemed like four more runs than they would require with Price on the mound. The 26-year-old walked Mike McCoy to open the game, before striking out six of the next seven batters he faced.

Jose Bautista struck out swinging in the first and went down looking in the fourth. Yunel Escobar, Kelly Johnson and Arencibia went down swinging — or looking, in exasperation — in each of their first two meetings with Tampa Bay’s starter.

Price was relentless, pitching like he had a flight to catch.

“I saw the movement on my fastball, my two-seamer, so I wanted to continue to use it,” he told reporters. “The wind kept blowing and it was making my eyes watery all game. I knew it was blowing pretty good, and I just kept throwing it.”

“It was un-hittable,” said Jaso, the Rays catcher. “I would have hated to have been on their team, trying to hit.”

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By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Friday, August 5, 2011

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ST. PETERSBURG — For a rookie, catcher Robinson Chirinos sure acted like he had been there before when he delivered his first big-league walkoff hit Thursday, a two-out bases-loaded single in the 12th that lifted the Rays to a 7-6 victory over the Blue Jays.

Chirinos, 27, who tied the score with a two-out pinch-hit single in the previous inning, tossed his helmet in the air after rounding first base, preparing to be in the middle of a celebratory mob.

“It’s great when you win and see those smiles and everybody,” Chirinos said, with a smile of his own. “That’s where you want to be.”

In a wild and entertaining victory in front of a camp-day crowd of 29,941 at Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay (58-52) — which led by a run entering the eighth inning — overcame two extra-inning deficits for the first time in club history thanks to scoring in three separate extra innings.

“It was a crazy game,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “To grasp victory from the jaws of defeat right there was kind of neat.”

Fittingly, on kids day at the Trop, it was the Rays’ rookies who stole the show, from leftfielder Desmond Jennings keeping them alive with a tying solo homer in the 10th to reliever Brandon Gomes picking up his first win. And, of course, there was Chirinos, who became the first rookie to have a tying and a winning hit in extra innings since the Braves’ Nick Green on July 2, 2004.

“These guys are definitely showing us that they want to be big-leaguers, that they belong,” Rays veteran Johnny Damon said, “and that they can help this team win right now.”

Right-hander Wade Davis gave the Rays a chance, once again overcoming a rocky first inning before settling in, allowing three runs over 7⅔ innings. His big mistake was his 108th and final pitch, a hanging breaking ball with two outs in the eighth that Jose Bautista hit into the stands for his majors-high 33rd homer that tied the score at 3. Evan Longoria had put the Rays on top with a three-run homer in the fifth.

The score stayed tied until the 10th, when recently acquired Jays outfielder Colby Rasmus ripped an elevated Jake McGee fastball for a run-scoring double.

“Right pitch,” McGee said, “bad location.”

The Rays battled back with Jennings continuing his sparkling play by leading off the bottom half with a solo homer to left, his third of the season and one of his three hits in the game. It was the first extra-inning homer by a Rays rookie since Longoria on May 19, 2008, and gave Jennings multiple hits in seven of his 12 games.

“We’re seeing Desmond grow up right before our eyes,” Damon said.

But the fight was far from over as Jays catcher Jose Molina hit a two-run triple in the top of the 11th — the third triple of his 12-year big-league career — to put Toronto up 6-4.

B.J. Upton, whose leadoff double sparked the two-run 11th, sliced another extra-base hit in the 12th, a one-out triple. Former Rays reliever Shawn Camp loaded the bases with two intentional walks but struck out Elliot Johnson, leaving it up to Chirinos.

Chirinos, who has felt his confidence grow since his first homer Wednesday, drew a 2-and-1 count and knew Camp “was the one in trouble — he had to throw strikes.”

And when Camp left a fastball over the middle, Chirinos smacked it into the hole at short, pumping his fist as he jogged to first.

Said Chirinos: “A great feeling.”

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Chirinos had a three-run shot off Villanueva (6-3) during a four-run third that put the Rays up 8-1. An inning earlier, he drove in a run with a bunt single.

Villanueva gave up eight runs and nine hits over 2 2-3 innings.

“When he’s been in some jams of late, he’s been able to make a pitch with the secondary stuff down in the zone whether it’s been his change up or breaking ball and that wasn’t the case,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. “Didn’t have the usual late life he’d shown.”

Farrell said the team plans to talk about Villanueva’s innings total this season. The right-hander has given up 20 earned runs in 19 1-3 innings over his last four starts.

“He’s been primarily a reliever the last couple years,” Farrell said. “He’s at the point now where he’s getting up about 100 innings and we’re seeing the physical tolls of that. Health-wise he’s fine. It’s just a matter of maintaining strength over a longer period of time.”

“I think it’s showing us that we’ve got take a closer look and discuss what our next steps are,” he added. “It’s not to say that he’s coming out of the rotation by any means, but we’re well aware of late the lack of late action through the zone and that’s a sign of fatigue.”

Shields (10-9) allowed one run and three hits in 7 1-3 innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked three.

Ben Zobrist and Casey Kotchman also homered for the Rays, who are 7-11 over their last 18 games.

J.P. Arencibia homered for Toronto.

Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista had his third-inning pop fly caught by shortstop Sean Rodriguez for an out after the ball hit highest of four catwalks at Tropicana Field. It was the third ball since the stadium opened in 1998 that has struck the “A’’ ring, which located around 185 feet above the infield.

Zobrist hit a solo homer, Rodriguez bunted home a run, Chirinos drove in a run with his bunt hit and Johnny Damon added a sacrifice fly during a four-run second.

Kotchman had a solo homer before Chirinos’ drive in the third broke open the game.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Villanueva said. “I had nothing on the ball. Every ball that I seemed to leave close to the zone they hit it on the barrel of the bat.”

Matt Joyce made it 9-1 with an RBI single in the seventh.

Arencibia, who struck out in all four at-bats in the Blue Jays’ 3-1 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night, cut the deficit to 4-1 with his 18th homer of the season leading off the third. He has six homers in his last 10 games.

Shields struck out Travis Snider with two on and two out in the second. He retired 11 in a row after allowing Arencibia’s homer.

NOTES: The Blue Jays would like to get RHP Brandon Morrow around 175 innings this season. “Building block approach,” Farrell said. Morrow (8-5) has worked 112 innings so far. … Rays RHP Wade Davis (8-7), Thursday’s scheduled starter, is 2-2 with a 2.80 ERA in five career starts against the Blue Jays. “They’re aggressive swinging the bat,” Davis said. … Toronto LHP Brett Cecil (4-4) will look to win for the fourth time in his last six starts in Thursday’s series finale. He is 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA over his last five starts, including two complete games. … Toronto LHP Brian Tallet (chest) is nearing his first bullpen session.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — Robinson Chirinos hit his first major-league homer and drove in four runs, James Shields pitched into the eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-1 on Wednesday night.

Chirinos had a three-run shot off Carlos Villanueva (6-3) during a four-run third that put the Rays up 8-1. An inning earlier, he drove in a run with a bunt single.

Shields (10-9) allowed one run and three hits in 7 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked three.

The AL all-star was coming off a start last Wednesday where he gave up 10 runs over four innings in a 13-4 loss to Oakland.

Ben Zobrist and Casey Kotchman also homered for the Rays, who are 7-11 over their last 18 games.

J.P. Arencibia homered for Toronto.

Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista had his third-inning pop fly caught by Rodriguez at shortstop for an out after the ball hit the highest of four catwalks at Tropicana Field.

It was the third ball since the stadium opened in 1998 that has struck the “A” ring, about 185 feet above the infield.

Villanueva gave up eight runs and nine hits over 2 2/3 innings.

Zobrist hit a solo homer, Sean Rodriguez bunted home a run, Chirinos drove in a run with his bunt hit and Johnny Damon added a sacrifice fly during a four-run second.

Kotchman had a solo homer before Chirinos’ drive in the third broke open the game.

Matt Joyce made it 9-1 with an RBI single in the seventh.

Arencibia, who struck out in all four at-bats in the Blue Jays’ 3-1 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night, cut the deficit to 4-1 with his 18th homer of the season leading off the third. He has six homers in his last 10 games.

Shields struck out Travis Snider with two on and two out in the second. He retired 11 in a row after allowing Arencibia’s homer.

Notes: The Blue Jays would like to get RHP Brandon Morrow around 175 innings this season. “Building block approach,” manager John Farrell said. Morrow (8-5) has worked 112 innings so far. … Rays RHP Wade Davis (8-7), Today’s scheduled starter, is 2-2 with a 2.80 earned-run average in five career starts against the Blue Jays. “They’re aggressive swinging the bat,” Davis said. … Toronto LHP Brett Cecil (4-4) will look to win for the fourth time in his last six starts in Thursday’s series finale. He is 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA over his last five starts, including two complete games. … Toronto LHP Brian Tallet (chest) is nearing his first bullpen session.

Tampa Bay Rays Robinson Chirinos, right, rounds the bases on his three-run home run off of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Carlos Villanueva, back left, during the third inning of a baseball in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Brian Blanco/Associated Press)

Robinson Chirinos hit his first major league homer and drove in four runs, James Shields pitched into the eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-1 on Wednesday night.

Chirinos had a three-run shot off Carlos Villanueva (6-3) during a four-run third that put the Rays up 8-1. An inning earlier, he drove in a run with a bunt single.

Shields (10-9) allowed one run and three hits in 7 1-3 innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked three.

The AL All-Star was coming off a start last Wednesday where he gave up 10 runs over four innings in a 13-4 loss to Oakland.

Ben Zobrist and Casey Kotchman also homered for the Rays, who are 7-11 over their last 18 games.

J.P. Arencibia homered for Toronto.

Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista had his third-inning pop fly caught by Rodriguez at shortstop for an out after the ball hit highest of four catwalks at Tropicana Field. It was the third ball since the stadium opened in 1998 that has struck the “A” ring, which located around 185 feet above the infield.

Villanueva gave up eight runs and nine hits over 2 2-3 innings.

Zobrist hit a solo homer, Sean Rodriguez bunted home a run, Chirinos drove in a run with his bunt hit and Johnny Damon added a sacrifice fly during a four-run second.

Kotchman had a solo homer before Chirinos’ drive in the third broke open the game.

Matt Joyce made it 9-1 with an RBI single in the seventh.

Arencibia, who struck out in all four at-bats in the Blue Jays’ 3-1 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night, cut the deficit to 4-1 with his 18th homer of the season leading off the third. He has six homers in his last 10 games.

Shields struck out Travis Snider with two on and two out in the second. He retired 11 in a row after allowing Arencibia’s homer. text

The Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays would be contenders in either of the AL’s other two divisions, but instead they’re looking up at a pair of teams that appear to be untouchable.

That’s exactly what the Blue Jays have found David Price to be.

With an 8-0 record against Toronto – including six wins and a sub-1.00 ERA at home – Price tries to continue his dominance of the Blue Jays when the AL East rivals open a three-game set at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.

The Red Sox and Yankees have pulled away from the pack in the AL East, leaving the postseason as a long shot for the Rays (56-51) and Blue Jays (55-53).

The Blue Jays’ deal Wednesday for outfielder Colby Rasmus – one designed to help more in 2012 and beyond – was the only significant move either club made leading up to the trade deadline.

The big news for the Rays following Sunday’s 8-1 win at Seattle concerned the players who didn’t go anywhere. After much speculation, outfielder B.J. Upton and starter James Shields – among others – stayed put.

“I’m happy with the guys we have,” manager Joe Maddon told the Rays’ official website. “I like the guys we have a lot. … There’s still something to be derived from several people. And if we get that out of them for the last month or two, it can be like an acquisition. And it can really give us a little bit of a booster into August and September.”

One of those underperformers has been Price (9-9, 3.76 ERA), who has disappointed in 2011 after finishing second in the AL Cy Young award voting last season.

The left-hander fell to 2-4 with a 4.42 ERA over his last nine starts after giving up four runs over six innings in a 6-1 loss to Oakland last Tuesday, but he’s ready for an August turnaround.

“I still have tons of pride, so I’m going to try and throw a perfect game every time I step out there,” Price said. “There might be a little more pressure with how many games we’re out with however many to go.”

He’s been awfully close to perfect versus Toronto. Price is 8-0 with a 1.99 ERA in nine starts against the Blue Jays, going 6-0 with a 0.81 ERA at home.

As good as Price has been, Jose Bautista has still found a way to do some damage. Bautista is 8 for 19 against Price, taking him deep three times.

Perhaps facing Price will get Bautista out of his recent power funk. Despite leading the majors with 31 homers, Bautista hasn’t gone deep in 14 straight games – his longest drought since a 24-game gap in 2009.

Bautista is just a .220 hitter at Tropicana Field since arriving in Toronto, however, and his team’s struggles in St. Petersburg precede his 2008 arrival. The Rays have won 12 consecutive series when the Blue Jays visit, going 27-9.

Toronto comes in with some momentum after taking two of three from Texas, winning Sunday’s series finale 7-3 behind a strong start from Brandon Morrow and Rasmus’ first two hits in the AL.

Ricky Romero (8-9, 3.08) tries to sustain that while replicating his performance Wednesday against Baltimore. After posting a 5.87 ERA in his first four July starts, the left-hander held the Orioles to four hits over 8 1-3 innings in a 3-0 victory.

Romero is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in two home starts versus Tampa Bay this season. He has a 4.43 ERA in three career visits to Tropicana Field.

Ben Zobrist and Johnny Damon are a combined 14 for 31 in their careers versus Romero.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Friday, May 20, 2011

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TORONTO — The Rays were obviously disappointed with the final result on the Rogers Centre scoreboard after Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Jays, as well as the AL East standings as their lead was cut to one game.

But they were relatively pleased with the work of starter Wade Davis, as the 25-year-old showed signs of rediscovering the aggressive approach and blazing fastball that made him a success.

“It was better,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “Much better.”

The problem for the Rays (25-19) was Toronto’s Ricky Romero was even sharper. And as a result, the margin between victory and defeat was slim. And somewhat swift, with the game lasting just 2 hours, 16 minutes.

Juan Rivera hit a solo homer in the second and J.P. Arencibia a two-run shot in the seventh to provide the Jays’ three runs.

B.J. Upton homered, his seventh of the season, in the fifth, and Kelly Shoppach, using Evan Longoria’s bat, went deep in the eighth to deliver the Rays’ two.

“Just a really well-played, quick, snappy, 1950s-60s circa baseball game that they won by a point,” Maddon said.

Davis’ ineffectiveness has been something of a mystery and of tempered concern since he had still posted a 4-3 record and 3.37 ERA through his first eight starts.

He said a series of slight adjustments he worked on with pitching coach Jim Hickey between starts had him confident he would have better command of and increased velocity on his fastball Thursday. And for most of his season-high 7? innings, he did, along with a sharper slider and curve. An overly aggressive approach by the Toronto hitters worked to his advantage as well.

“Everything felt a lot better today,” Davis said. “I was much more aggressive, especially early on; I was throwing more strikes, throwing the ball over the plate, attacking guys.”

Shoppach said, in essence, it was about time.

Davis’ strikeouts had been down and his walks up, his best fastball missing at times and his priority seemingly more on pitching than throwing. It wasn’t an effective combination, and since health was not an issue, it was something Davis needed to change.

“He had to; you can’t keep walking the tight wire with all the walks he’s had and being behind hitters,” Shoppach said. “I’m not real clear with what was going on with him, but the way threw the ball tonight is where he should be every night. I know we talked before the game and he talked about how he just physically felt better.

“I’m not sure why it took him nine starts to get there. You just can’t pitch at this level behind hitters, and you have to pitch with your fastball. If you don’t pitch with that pitch, it just doesn’t work. … I hope’s he turned the corner and realized this is the way he should be and the way we expect him to be.”

There were still rough spots, including the fairly well-located 3-and-1 fastball that Rivera, who had been 0-for-his-last-12, knocked over the leftfield fence, and the first-pitch slider to Arencibia, after a one-out walk to Rivera in the seventh, that didn’t slide.

But overall, better.

“Hopefully,” Davis said, “it’s just an up hill from here.”

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Friday, May 20, 2011

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TORONTO — The Rays were obviously disappointed with the final result on the Rogers Centre scoreboard after Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Jays, as well as the AL East standings as their lead was cut to one game.

But they were relatively pleased with the work of starter Wade Davis, as the 25-year-old showed signs of rediscovering the aggressive approach and blazing fastball that made him a success.

“It was better,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “Much better.”

The problem for the Rays (25-19) was Toronto’s Ricky Romero was even sharper. And as a result, the margin between victory and defeat was slim. And somewhat swift, with the game lasting just 2 hours, 16 minutes.

Juan Rivera hit a solo homer in the second and J.P. Arencibia a two-run shot in the seventh to provide the Jays’ three runs.

B.J. Upton homered, his seventh of the season, in the fifth, and Kelly Shoppach, using Evan Longoria’s bat, went deep in the eighth to deliver the Rays’ two.

“Just a really well-played, quick, snappy, 1950s-60s circa baseball game that they won by a point,” Maddon said.

Davis’ ineffectiveness has been something of a mystery and of tempered concern since he had still posted a 4-3 record and 3.37 ERA through his first eight starts.

He said a series of slight adjustments he worked on with pitching coach Jim Hickey between starts had him confident he would have better command of and increased velocity on his fastball Thursday. And for most of his season-high 7? innings, he did, along with a sharper slider and curve. An overly aggressive approach by the Toronto hitters worked to his advantage as well.

“Everything felt a lot better today,” Davis said. “I was much more aggressive, especially early on; I was throwing more strikes, throwing the ball over the plate, attacking guys.”

Shoppach said, in essence, it was about time.

Davis’ strikeouts had been down and his walks up, his best fastball missing at times and his priority seemingly more on pitching than throwing. It wasn’t an effective combination, and since health was not an issue, it was something Davis needed to change.

“He had to; you can’t keep walking the tight wire with all the walks he’s had and being behind hitters,” Shoppach said. “I’m not real clear with what was going on with him, but the way threw the ball tonight is where he should be every night. I know we talked before the game and he talked about how he just physically felt better.

“I’m not sure why it took him nine starts to get there. You just can’t pitch at this level behind hitters, and you have to pitch with your fastball. If you don’t pitch with that pitch, it just doesn’t work. … I hope’s he turned the corner and realized this is the way he should be and the way we expect him to be.”

There were still rough spots, including the fairly well-located 3-and-1 fastball that Rivera, who had been 0-for-his-last-12, knocked over the leftfield fence, and the first-pitch slider to Arencibia, after a one-out walk to Rivera in the seventh, that didn’t slide.

But overall, better.

“Hopefully,” Davis said, “it’s just an up hill from here.”

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(Sports Network) – The Toronto Blue Jays take aim at a seventh straight win this evening when they open a two-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre.

The Blue Jays stopped the Tigers’ seven-game winning streak in Monday’s opener with a 4-2 victory, but were denied the chance to extend the streak on Tuesday, as the finale of their set with Detroit was postponed by rain.

Still, though, Toronto has won seven of its last 10. A big reason for that, of course, has been the play of Jose Bautista, who leads the majors with 16 home runs and a .370 average and is hitting at a.407 clip with six homers and eight RBI during the winning streak.

“He’s as professional, as complete a player, as complete a teammate as you could ever want,” Toronto manager John Farrell told the team’s website. “So much is made about the performance on the field, but what people don’t see is the day in, day out preparation, the care that he has for his teammates. He’s a natural leader that people gravitate to, and that’s why … he is a complete player. He’s arguably the best player in the game right now.”

Another win for the Blue Jays tonight would give them their first seven-game tear since ripping off 10 in a row Aug. 30-Sept. 9, 2008

Getting the call for the Blue Jays tonight will be righty Jesse Litsch, who has won his last two starts. Litsch won for the third time in four starts and improved to 4-2 on the year on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox, as he allowed three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

“He had good stuff, he used his fastball effectively, showed a little increase in velocity,” Toronto manager John Farrell said. “He did another good job.”

Litsch, who has pitched to a 4.14 ERA on the year, beat the Tigers two starts ago and is 1-1 in four starts against them with a 2.92 ERA.

Tampa, meanwhile, enters tonight’s tilt having lost three of its last four after dropping a 6-2 decision to the struggling New York Yankees on Tuesday. Former Yankee Johnny Damon had three hits for the Rays, who had their lead in the AL East cut to two games over the Yankees.

Tampa starter James Shields (4-2) had his four-decision winning streak halted after giving up four runs — three earned — in seven innings. He allowed eight hits and a walk, but struck out nine.

The Rays, though, own the league’s best road mark at 13-6.

Hoping to get the Rays back on track tonight will be rookie right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, who has won his last three starts. The 24-year-old hurler had his finest outing as a pro on Friday against Baltimore, as he tossed a four-hit shutout to improve to 4-2, while lowering his ERA to 2.98.

“It was night and day compared to the last time I faced these guys,” Hellickson said. “I wanted to come out early and establish my fastball, and me and (catcher John Jaso) were on the same page pretty much the whole game.”

Hellickson did not get a decision against the Jays back on April 22 when the allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings.

Tampa has won four of six from the Jays this season.

ST. PETERSBURG – David Price seems unbeatable against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Price allowed one unearned run while pitching into the ninth inning, Johnny Damon got his 2,600th career hit and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Blue Jays 3-1 on Thursday.

“Really commanding performance,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said of Price. “The best game I’ve seen fastball command out of him.”

Price (4-3) is undefeated against the Blue Jays, winning eight times in nine starts. The left-hander allowed four hits and struck out 10 over 8 2-3 innings.

“He was strong,” Toronto manager John Farrell said. “He kept his velocity throughout the eight-plus innings he was there. I thought he had a lot of strikes on the inside part of the plate. Caught a number of guys looking. Obviously he’s had a lot of success against us, and again that was the case today.”

Price is 19-4 against AL East opponents. Toronto’s first three hitters, Rajai Davis, Corey Patterson and Yunel Escobar, went a combined 0 for 11 with six strikeouts against Price.

Damon had two hits, which moved him past Steve Garvey (2,599) into 75th place on the career list. His fifth-inning double (490) tied him for 59th place with Mickey Vernon on that list.

The Rays took two of three from the Blue Jays and won their 12th consecutive home series over Toronto, since July 30-August 1, 2007. Tampa Bay has won eight of its last 11 overall.

Price was pulled by Maddon with two outs and nobody on base in the ninth, prompting boos, after Patterson hit an RBI grounder. John McDonald reached second to start the inning on a throwing error by shortstop Sean Rodriguez.

Maddon was concerned about Price’s pitch count, which had reached 118 for the game.

Kyle Farnsworth got the final out after allowing a single to Escobar for his sixth save.

Adam Lind extended his hitting streak to 10-games with an infield single off Price during the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to help Toronto avoid its fourth loss in five games.

John Jaso had an RBI double, Damon drove in a run with an infield single and Matt Joyce hit a sacrifice fly off Kyle Drabek (2-2) to put the Rays ahead 3-0 in the third. Joyce has eight RBIs over his last seven games.

“He’s a great pitcher,” Drabek said of Price. “He did a good job today.”

Drabek had his start moved up one day to replace Ricky Romero, who was scratched due to a mild left oblique strain. The right-hander gave up three runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Romero is scheduled to pitch Saturday against Detroit. The left-hander had a long-toss session and threw at 60 feet on flat ground.

Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who missed his third straight games with neck spasms, continues to improve and remains on target to resume swinging a bat Friday. He could return to the lineup Sunday.

Notes: Maddon said RHP Jeff Niemann (back) is expected to go on the DL after an MRI exam. He left his start Wednesday night after four innings. … Toronto 2B Aaron Hill (strained right hamstring) was sent to Class A Dunedin for a rehab assignment. … Rays CF B.J. Upton, ejected after striking out in the ninth Wednesday, had not heard before the game about any punishments from MLB officials. He slammed his bat and helmet to the ground after being thrown out by umpire Chad Fairchild. … Maddon, also ejected Wednesday, said postgame the Rays still had not been contacted by baseball officials about the matter. .. Rays INF Felipe Lopez accepted an assignment with Triple-A Durham. He was designated for assignment on Tuesday.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, April 24, 2011

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TORONTO — The smiles in the Rays clubhouse were as much for relief as joy given the moments of concern they went through Saturday afternoon.

A near midair collision between diving outfielders Sam Fuld and B.J. Upton left both a bit shaken and manager Joe Maddon shaking his head at what could have been significant injuries. David Price was visibly frustrated and disappointed when he was removed after allowing three hits to start the ninth, unable to finish what he started. Closer Kyle Farnsworth caused considerable concern when he went down in the ninth with what looked briefly to be a serious knee injury. And there was the slight problem posed by Toronto’s Jose Bautista coming to the plate, as he clubbed two more home runs and now has been up nine times without making an out.

But by the end, the Rays had reason to relax, rebounding from Friday’s crushing 11-inning walkoff loss with a hard-fought 6-4 win over the Blue Jays.

“Welcome to the American League East, ladies and gentlemen,” Maddon said. “I anticipate games like this on a nightly basis. You’re always looking for the laugher; you’re always looking to get away with something. You’re not. You’re not. Every game we play in our division this year is going to resemble that game you saw the last two days.”

The Rays (10-11), for a while anyway, appeared headed for a relatively uneventful win.

Price was pitching extremely well to the eight mortals in the Toronto lineup, allowing only a pair of solo blasts to Bautista, the briefly onetime Ray who led the majors with 54 homers last season. “Bautista’s obviously working off another stratosphere, solar system, whatever,” Maddon said. “This guy’s just on a different planet right now as a hitter.”

Johnny Damon gave the Rays their first lead with a two-run homer in the first, and after Damon’s seven-pitch at-bat that ended in a strikeout but finished starter Brandon Morrow’s day at 93 pitches in the sixth (which Maddon considered the key to the game), Ben Zobrist put them back ahead with a three-run homer.

They extended the lead to 6-2 in the seventh, and then things got interesting.

The Jays had two on with two outs when Travis Snider lined a ball to left-center. Fuld and Upton took off, neither seeing the other, as Fuld took the inside track with his headfirst dive to make the catch and Upton, out of reaction more than thought, diving behind him.

“All of a sudden you see the Flying Wallenda act,” Maddon said. “It was very scary, man.”

A similar predicament ended less dramatically in the eighth, with Sean Rodriguez, playing third in place of the benched Felipe Lopez, starting and Zobrist turning an inning-ending double play.

Price had his eyes on a complete game, having thrown only 95 pitches going into the ninth. But a single to Bautista, an RBI double by Adam Lind and a single by Jose Molina changed the look quickly. Maddon decided to make the change, and Price left without acknowledging him and barely his teammates waiting in the dugout.

“I was disappointed in myself,” Price said. “He lets me go out there to try and finish the ninth, I’ve got to be able to do it. It’s unfortunate. You’ve got to go out there in that ninth inning and shut the door.”

Farnsworth allowed a single to make it 6-4 then went down awkwardly trying to field a bunt. He stayed in after a few moments pause then finished the job with two groundouts for his fifth save.

“That’s what’s fun about playing the game,” Farnsworth said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@sptimes.com.

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TORONTO (AP) – John McDonald hit a walkoff two-run home run in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Friday night.

McDonald connected for his first home run of the season against Rays right-hander Adam Russell (1-1).

Marc Rzepczynski (2-0) pitched one-third of an inning for the win as the Blue Jays handed the Rays their second straight defeat.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit his fifth home run of the season and finished a single shy of the cycle. He went 3 for 3, walked twice and scored four runs.

Juan Rivera hit a one-out single in the 11th off Cesar Ramos and Russell came on to face McDonald, who homered to left.

McDonald didn’t start the game, coming on defensively in the second after Blue Jays second baseman Jayson Nix was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Tampa Bay’s Sean Rodriguez, who slid into Nix while trying to break up a double play.

Nix left with a sore left knee and is day to day.

The Blue Jays are already without regular second baseman Aaron Hill, who missed his second straight game with a sore right hamstring. Hill was injured stealing second in Tuesday’s victory over the New York Yankees.

B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Toronto tied it in the bottom half. Bautista hit a two-out double that skipped off Sam Fuld’s glove in left, sliding into second just ahead of the throw. Adam Lind followed with an RBI single to center.

Fuld singled, stole second and scored on a hit by Upton in the third, but the Blue Jays tied it again in the fourth when Bautista tripled past a diving Ben Zobrist in right and scored on Lind’s double.

The Rays reclaimed the lead with a two-run fifth. Fuld scored Kelly Shoppach with a triple to right and Johnny Damon followed with an RBI double.

Bautista closed the gap to one with a leadoff homer to left off Jeremy Hellickson in the fifth, then scored the tying run in the eighth as Toronto rallied against reliever Joel Peralta.

Needing just a single for the cycle, Bautista walked on four pitches to begin the inning, moving to second on Lind’s grounder. Bautista was nearly picked off, staying alive when Rodriguez dropped Peralta’s throw. Edwin Encarnacion made the Rays pay by lining an RBI double off the right field wall.

Hellickson matched his career high by working seven innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Blue Jays left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six.

NOTES: Rays LHP J.P. Howell (left shoulder) threw 25 pitches in an extended spring training game Friday. He struck out four and allowed two hits in 1 1-3 innings. … Rays manager Joe Maddon said he would not use Monday’s day off to skip RHP Jeff Niemann, who is 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA in four starts. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis (right ankle) began a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A New Hampshire on Friday, going 1 for 3 with a strikeout. … Blue Jays outfielders Scott Podsednik and Dewayne Wise both started for Class-A Dunedin in a game at Tampa on Friday night. Podsednik has been bothered by plantar fasciitis.

The Tampa Bay Rays entered the game with the only undefeated bullpen left in baseball.

John McDonald ended that run.

Tampa blew its first save and suffered its first defeat when McDonald hit a walkoff two-run home run in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Friday night.

McDonald connected for his first home run of the season against Rays right-hander Adam Russell (1-1).

“I liked my fastball matchup against him,” Russell said. “It just didn’t get where I wanted it to go and I paid the price.”

Rays relievers came in 3-0 and 4 for 4 in save opportunities, but ended up beaten by a light-hitting backup infielder.

“McDonald is our kryptonite,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

McDonald, who’d never hit a walkoff homer before, said he doesn’t relish facing Tampa Bay’s staff.

“There’s a lot of good pitchers over there,” he said. “You don’t go into Tampa thinking ‘I can’t wait to face (David) Price and (Jeff) Niemann. But anytime you can make a manager feel that way across the other side it makes you feel like you’re accomplishing something.”

Marc Rzepczynski (2-0) pitched one-third of an inning for the win as the Blue Jays handed the Rays their second straight defeat.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit his fifth home run of the season and finished a single shy of the cycle. He went 3 for 3, walked twice and scored four runs.

Juan Rivera hit a one-out single in the 11th off Cesar Ramos and Russell came on to face McDonald, who homered to left on a 1-0 fastball.

McDonald didn’t start the game, coming on defensively in the second after Blue Jays second baseman Jayson Nix was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Tampa Bay’s Sean Rodriguez, who slid into Nix while trying to break up a double play.

“I didn’t think it was a bad slide,” Nix said. “I would have done the same thing in the same situation.”

Nix left with a sore left knee and is day to day. X-rays were negative.

“I have some pain in the middle of my leg, in the fibula, but the knee is the biggest problem right now,” he said.

The Blue Jays are already without regular second baseman Aaron Hill, who missed his second straight game with a sore right hamstring. Hill was injured stealing second in Tuesday’s victory over the New York Yankees.

B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Toronto tied it in the bottom half. Bautista hit a two-out double that skipped off Sam Fuld’s glove in left, sliding into second just ahead of the throw. Adam Lind followed with an RBI single to center.

Fuld singled, stole second and scored on a hit by Upton in the third, but the Blue Jays tied it again in the fourth when Bautista tripled past a diving Ben Zobrist in right and scored on Lind’s double.

The Rays reclaimed the lead with a two-run fifth. Fuld scored Kelly Shoppach with a triple to right and Johnny Damon followed with an RBI double.

Bautista closed the gap to one with a leadoff homer to left off Jeremy Hellickson in the fifth, then scored the tying run in the eighth as Toronto rallied against reliever Joel Peralta.

Needing just a single for the cycle, Bautista walked on four pitches to begin the inning, moving to second on Lind’s grounder. Bautista was nearly picked off, staying alive when Rodriguez dropped Peralta’s throw.

“I thought it was going to bounce so I kind of picked my glove up just a little bit,” Rodriguez said. “I had it snowconed but when I went to turn around it popped out.”

Edwin Encarnacion made the Rays pay by lining an RBI double off the right field wall.

Hellickson matched his career high by working seven innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Blue Jays left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six.

NOTES: Rays LHP J.P. Howell (left shoulder) threw 25 pitches in an extended spring training game Friday. He struck out four and allowed two hits in 1 1-3 innings. … Rays manager Joe Maddon said he would not use Monday’s day off to skip RHP Jeff Niemann, who is 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA in four starts. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis (right ankle) began a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A New Hampshire on Friday, going 1 for 3 with a strikeout. … Blue Jays outfielders Scott Podsednik and Dewayne Wise both started for Class-A Dunedin in a game at Tampa on Friday night. Podsednik has been bothered by plantar fasciitis. … The Blue Jays traded INF Brad Emaus to Colorado for RHP Chris Malone and a player to be named or cash.

TORONTO – John McDonald hit a walkoff two-run home run in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Friday night.

McDonald connected for his first home run of the season against Rays right-hander Adam Russell (1-1).

Marc Rzepczynski (2-0) pitched one-third of an inning for the win as the Blue Jays handed the Rays their second straight defeat.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit his fifth home run of the season and finished a single shy of the cycle. He went 3 for 3, walked twice and scored four runs.

Juan Rivera hit a one-out single in the 11th off Cesar Ramos and Russell came on to face McDonald, who homered to left.

McDonald didn’t start the game, coming on defensively in the second after Blue Jays second baseman Jayson Nix was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Tampa Bay’s Sean Rodriguez, who slid into Nix while trying to break up a double play.

Nix left with a sore left knee and is day to day.

The Blue Jays are already without regular second baseman Aaron Hill, who missed his second straight game with a sore right hamstring. Hill was injured stealing second in Tuesday’s victory over the New York Yankees.

B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Toronto tied it in the bottom half. Bautista hit a two-out double that skipped off Sam Fuld’s glove in left, sliding into second just ahead of the throw. Adam Lind followed with an RBI single to center.

Fuld singled, stole second and scored on a hit by Upton in the third, but the Blue Jays tied it again in the fourth when Bautista tripled past a diving Ben Zobrist in right and scored on Lind’s double.

The Rays reclaimed the lead with a two-run fifth. Fuld scored Kelly Shoppach with a triple to right and Johnny Damon followed with an RBI double.

Bautista closed the gap to one with a leadoff homer to left off Jeremy Hellickson in the fifth, then scored the tying run in the eighth as Toronto rallied against reliever Joel Peralta.

Needing just a single for the cycle, Bautista walked on four pitches to begin the inning, moving to second on Lind’s grounder. Bautista was nearly picked off, staying alive when Rodriguez dropped Peralta’s throw. Edwin Encarnacion made the Rays pay by lining an RBI double off the right field wall.

Hellickson matched his career high by working seven innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Blue Jays left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six.

NOTES: Rays LHP J.P. Howell (left shoulder) threw 25 pitches in an extended spring training game Friday. He struck out four and allowed two hits in 1 1-3 innings. … Rays manager Joe Maddon said he would not use Monday’s day off to skip RHP Jeff Niemann, who is 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA in four starts. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis (right ankle) began a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A New Hampshire on Friday, going 1 for 3 with a strikeout. … Blue Jays outfielders Scott Podsednik and Dewayne Wise both started for Class-A Dunedin in a game at Tampa on Friday night. Podsednik has been bothered by plantar fasciitis.

TORONTO – John McDonald hit a walkoff two-run home run in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Friday night.

McDonald connected for his first home run of the season against Rays right-hander Adam Russell (1-1).

Marc Rzepczynski (2-0) pitched one-third of an inning for the win as the Blue Jays handed the Rays their second straight defeat.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit his fifth home run of the season and finished a single shy of the cycle. He went 3 for 3, walked twice and scored four runs.

Juan Rivera hit a one-out single in the 11th off Cesar Ramos and Russell came on to face McDonald, who homered to left.

McDonald didn’t start the game, coming on defensively in the second after Blue Jays second baseman Jayson Nix was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Tampa Bay’s Sean Rodriguez, who slid into Nix while trying to break up a double play.

Nix left with a sore left knee and is day to day.

The Blue Jays are already without regular second baseman Aaron Hill, who missed his second straight game with a sore right hamstring. Hill was injured stealing second in Tuesday’s victory over the New York Yankees.

B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Toronto tied it in the bottom half. Bautista hit a two-out double that skipped off Sam Fuld’s glove in left, sliding into second just ahead of the throw. Adam Lind followed with an RBI single to center.

Fuld singled, stole second and scored on a hit by Upton in the third, but the Blue Jays tied it again in the fourth when Bautista tripled past a diving Ben Zobrist in right and scored on Lind’s double.

The Rays reclaimed the lead with a two-run fifth. Fuld scored Kelly Shoppach with a triple to right and Johnny Damon followed with an RBI double.

Bautista closed the gap to one with a leadoff homer to left off Jeremy Hellickson in the fifth, then scored the tying run in the eighth as Toronto rallied against reliever Joel Peralta.

Needing just a single for the cycle, Bautista walked on four pitches to begin the inning, moving to second on Lind’s grounder. Bautista was nearly picked off, staying alive when Rodriguez dropped Peralta’s throw. Edwin Encarnacion made the Rays pay by lining an RBI double off the right field wall.

Hellickson matched his career high by working seven innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Blue Jays left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six.

NOTES: Rays LHP J.P. Howell (left shoulder) threw 25 pitches in an extended spring training game Friday. He struck out four and allowed two hits in 1 1-3 innings. … Rays manager Joe Maddon said he would not use Monday’s day off to skip RHP Jeff Niemann, who is 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA in four starts. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis (right ankle) began a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A New Hampshire on Friday, going 1 for 3 with a strikeout. … Blue Jays outfielders Scott Podsednik and Dewayne Wise both started for Class-A Dunedin in a game at Tampa on Friday night. Podsednik has been bothered by plantar fasciitis.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—The Tampa Bay Rays hope a strong finish in spring training will help them get off to another quick start in the regular season.

Evan Longoria(notes) homered and B.J. Upton(notes) snapped a seventh-inning tie with a two-run single, helping the defending AL East champions beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 on Wednesday. The victory enabled Rays to complete their exhibition schedule with a 15-14-2 record after beginning 1-7-1.

The last two times the Rays had a winning record in spring training, Tampa Bay went on to win the division title.

“I just thought we played well,” manager Joe Maddon said, “and that’s all we’re looking for.”

Elliot Johnson(notes) also hit a solo homer for the Rays. Jose Bautista(notes) had a RBI single and Adam Lind(notes) drove in two runs with a third-inning double for the Blue Jays.

Both teams open the regular season at home on Friday night, with Tampa Bay facing the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto getting started against the Minnesota Twins.

In addition to playing better after the slow exhibition start, the Rays head into their opener with just one player—reliever J.P. Howell(notes), who missed all of 2010 after having shoulder surgery—bound for the disabled list. The left-hander is expected to run some time in May.

“It’s great to go into the season healthy,” Maddon said. “That’s one of your biggest goals. … J.P’s making some really good progress also.”

Longoria homered off Blue Jays starter Jo Jo Reyes. Upton scored on the back end of a delayed steal in the third inning, then delivered his winning hit off Marc Rzepczynski(notes) in the seventh.

Toronto scored all three of its runs off Rays starter Jeff Niemann(notes), who allowed three runs and four hits in four innings. The 6-foot-9 right-hander walked one and struck out two while throwing 65 pitches in his final tuneup for Tampa Bay’s fourth game of the season, at home against the Los Angeles Angels.

Reyes allowed two runs on one hit, walked three and struck out six in four innings. Will Ledezma allowed Johnson’s home run, which made it 3-all in the fifth.

Meanwhile, Bautista went 2 for 2 to finish with a .400 batting average (24 for 60) and a team-high 14 RBIs. Toronto’s 16-14 record was the best among AL teams.

Rays designated hitter Manny Ramirez(notes) was excused from the finale to attend to a personal matter.

“I found out about it two days ago, so we talked and I said there’s no problem, just take care of everything and come back,” Maddon said. “It’s something that he really had to do today, so I was good with it.”

Ramirez is expected to return before Friday’s opener. The 12-time All-Star, one of Tampa Bay’s two biggest offseason acquisitions, batted .311 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 19 exhibitions.

The Tampa Bay Rays hope a strong finish in spring training will help them get off to another quick start in the regular season.

Evan Longoria homered and B.J. Upton snapped a seventh-inning tie with a two-run single, helping the defending AL East champions beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 on Wednesday. The victory enabled Rays to complete their exhibition schedule with a 15-14-2 record after beginning 1-7-1.

The last two times the Rays had a winning record in spring training, Tampa Bay went on to win the division title.

“I just thought we played well,” manager Joe Maddon said, “and that’s all we’re looking for.”

Elliot Johnson also hit a solo homer for the Rays. Jose Bautista had a RBI single and Adam Lind drove in two runs with a third-inning double for the Blue Jays.

Both teams open the regular season at home on Friday night, with Tampa Bay facing the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto getting started against the Minnesota Twins.

In addition to playing better after the slow exhibition start, the Rays head into their opener with just one player — reliever J.P. Howell, who missed all of 2010 after having shoulder surgery — bound for the disabled list. The left-hander is expected to run some time in May.

“It’s great to go into the season healthy,” Maddon said. “That’s one of your biggest goals. … J.P’s making some really good progress also.”

Longoria homered off Blue Jays starter Jo Jo Reyes. Upton scored on the back end of a delayed steal in the third inning, then delivered his winning hit off Marc Rzepczynski in the seventh.

Toronto scored all three of its runs off Rays starter Jeff Niemann, who allowed three runs and four hits in four innings. The six-foot-nine right-hander walked one and struck out two while throwing 65 pitches in his final tuneup for Tampa Bay’s fourth game of the season, at home against the Los Angeles Angels.

Reyes allowed two runs on one hit, walked three and struck out six in four innings. Will Ledezma allowed Johnson’s home run, which made it 3-3 in the fifth.

Meanwhile, Bautista went 2 for 2 to finish with a .400 batting average (24 for 60) and a team-high 14 RBIs. Toronto’s 16-14 record was the best among AL teams.

Rays designated hitter Manny Ramirez was excused from the finale to attend to a personal matter.

“I found out about it two days ago, so we talked and I said there’s no problem, just take care of everything and come back,” Maddon said. “It’s something that he really had to do today, so I was good with it.”

Ramirez is expected to return before Friday’s opener. The 12-time all-star, one of Tampa Bay’s two biggest off-season acquisitions, batted .311 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 19 exhibitions.

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By Ben Nicholson-Smith [January 7, 2011 at 4:26pm CST]

The Blue Jays are one of the most serious suitors for left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff. The Blue Jays appear to be one of many teams pursuing Fuentes, who would like to close according to FOX Sports.

Though the Red Sox may be done adding lefties now that they’ve re-signed Hideki Okajima, AL East teams appear to have heavy interest in Fuentes. Along with the Blue Jays, the Rays and Yankees have also been linked to Fuentes this offseason. Not every AL East team is bidding on the 35-year-old, though. He appears to be too expensive for Baltimore, though the O’s are looking at more affordable southpaw relievers.

Fuentes would be a fit for the Rays, if they can afford his asking price ($5MM-plus per season on a multiyear deal). The Blue Jays could also use left-handed relief help after losing Scott Downs and Brian Tallet. Jesse Carlson, Wil Ledezma, Rommie Lewis and David Purcey figure to compete for spots in manager John Farrell’s ‘pen this spring.

Octavio Dotel is the favorite to close in Toronto, but Jason Frasor could win the job and Fuentes would likely have a chance at it if the Jays sign him

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